[Redmi Note 2 General] jajk:
STAGE 3:

Now its time to get Skinny: You will need an app that can uninstall and freeze system apps. I use SD Maids App Control feature for this purpose.

Warning: If you intend to use app lock, you will unfortunately need to keep some fingerprint service files. See the post below and a few before it to understand the problem. Thanks to [MENTION=5850987]DarthJabba9[/MENTION] for his work.

I believe that app lock also disables MIUI Optimization if enabled.

http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=67242356&postcount=583

First phase is to get rid of the obvious bloat apps and Xiaomi in-house apps....these in the list below are safe to remove.

Tick off what you have removed and reboot each 10 or so deletions and backup, don't try to delete everything in one hit as you will end up stuck at boot.

WARNING: This removes some functionality that may be useful to some users. You either want the function or you don't - it is your finger pressing the buttons!

Some people may choose to keep the MIUI Home Launcher interface. In this case, keep MIUI Wallpaper as well.

Must keep these - Do not delete:

Updater - disable autostarts, do not freeze

Theme Manager - disable autostarts

Security (com.miui.securitycenter) - leave as-is

FwkPlugin

Network Assistant app

MiuiSDK - disable autostarts

AuthManager

Webview (update via Playstore once install finished)

Xiaomi service framework - disable autostarts, freeze app

Definitely O.K to delete list:

Wallpaper Apps:

Android Live Wallpapers

Black Hole

Bubbles

com.android.wallpaper.holospiral

Live Wallpaper Picker

Music Visualization Wallpapers

Phase Beam

Photo Screensavers

*Miui MiWallpaper * keep if also keeping MIUI Home Launcher.

Xiaomi/MTK Apps:

Analytics

Assistant

Back up Home screen layout (cloud backup)

Backup - delete if you don't use it (use TWRP instead)

Battery Warning - deleting this does not affect battery charging or display

Battery Saver - deleting this improves battery life

Blocklist (AntiSpam) - delete if you don't use it

com.miui.mipub

File Explorer - delete (you should already have a root capable file browser)

Find device - use the generic Google version if you really must, not the Xiaomi one supplied.

FingerprintService

FPCSensorTestTool

FTPreCheck

FWUpgrade

gallery (com.mfashiongallery.emag daily wallpapers)

Games

Home screen

JeejenMIUIContainer

com.securitycore.miui_t (Tencent virus scanner plugin to Security Center)

KLO Bug report

LocationEM2

Metok

MI Account

Mi Cloud

Mi Credit

Mi Drop

Mi Home

MI Service Security Framework

Mi VIP

Mi Voice

Mi Wallet

Miravision

MTKAndroidSuiteDaemon

MtkFloatMenu

MTKLogger

Music

MusicFx

Notes - if you don't use it, delete it.

PowerKeeper (Battery Saver) - deleting this improves battery life

Report Bug

Security service plugin (not securitycenter app)

SystemAd

System Launcher (Miui Home) replace with an alternative Launcher, allow autostart in Security first then delete. ADW Launcher recommended for lightweight and simple functionality (set to 4x6 looks good).

Traffic Control

Uniplay

UpgradeSys

VCalendar

Video

Voice Unlock

VoiceAssist

Weather

Weather provider

Whetstone delete app and delete folder /etc/WhetstonePermission ****Whetstone is linked with several other apps to make it hard to get rid of. It may cause some temporary FC issues - these will pass.

Xiaomi Assistant

Yellow Pages

com.jeejen.knowledge

com.jeejen.store

com.ximalaya.ting.android

com.xiaomi pass

com.xiaomi.o2o

com.xiaomi.jr

Cheetah Mobile CleanMaster SDK + Cleaner - delete

NetworkLocation (com.baidu.map.location) delete app, delete folder: /system/vendor/operator and delete corpses

Android/Google Apps:

Browser - suggest replace with Polarity Browser - minimal permissions required, Ad Blocking, lightweight and fast

Documents

Google Keyboard - replace with something lighter - Hackers Keyboard v1.38.2 recommended

Google Pinyin input

Google Feedback

Google partnersetup

HTML Viewer

Email

Mail

Pico TTS

Print Spooler

com.android.browser.provider

PacProcessor

Note: If you have apps reappear as if by magic, they are being reconstructed from cached information. SD Maid has an excellent "Corpse Finder" function that will delete the orphaned files and prevent this happening. Clear corpses after each reboot.

Second phase is to toggle off the autostarts (receivers) on the apps that do not need to start by default. This is not the same as freezing an app. Some apps will still start by themselves - do not worry too much about this.

Atci_service

Backup

Blocklist

com.mediatek.batterywarning

Download Manager

Google Contacts Sync

Google One Time Init

MIUI SDK (don't freeze)

MTK NLP Service

Notes

One Time Init

Sim Toolkit

Themes (Theme Manager)

Updater

Xiaomi service framework (should also be frozen)

Third phase is to clean up left behind folders and files

/data/miui/app/customized/ remove any app folders that you have uninstalled

/data/miui/app/noncustomized/ remove any app folders that you have uninstalled

delete folder /data/miui/mms

delete folder /data/miui/gallery

delete contents of /data/miui/cust

delete folder /etc/jeejen

delete etc/voicecommand and etc/voiceextension folders if you have removed voice related apps

delete /system/tts folder if you have removed Pico TTS

delete folder /system/etc/radv

/etc/fake_cdrom_install.iso - delete file

/etc/IAmCdRom.iso - delete file

/system/addon.d delete folder

/system/app/jjcontainer/ - delete folder

/system/app/jjhome/ - delete folder

/system/app/jjknowledge/ - delete folder

/system/app/jjstore/ - delete folder

Libs you can remove:

/vendor/lib

libfingerprint_tac.so

libfpcalgorithm.so

/vendor/lib64

libcom_fingerprints_productiontestmanager.so

libcom_fingerprints_sensor.so

libfingerprint_tac.so

/system/lib

libcaFingerPrintShared.so

libcom_fingerprints_service.so

libfamily_jni.so

libjeejenAisound.so

libjeejenmsc.so

libMiraVision_jni.so (if deleted MiraVision App)

libpatcher_game_jni

libvoicerecognition.so (if voice recognition apps deleted)

libvoicerecognition_jni.so (if voice recognition apps deleted)

libweibosdkcore.so

libwhetstone_jni.so (if deleted Whetstone App)

libwhetstone_sdk.so (if deleted Whetstone App)

libxiaomimediaplayer.so (if xiaomi media player deleted)

libxiaomimediaplayerwrapper.so (if xiaomi media player deleted)

/system/lib64

libairtunes_jni.so

libairtunes.so

libBankCardRecognizer.so

libcaFingerPrintShared.so

libcom_fingerprints_service.so

libduokantext.so

libjni_latinimegoogle.so (if deleted Google keyboard)

libjni_pacprocessor.so (if deleted PacProcessor)

libMiraVision_jni.so (if deleted MiraVision App)

libpatcher_game_jni.so

libttspico.so

libweibosdkcore.so

libwhetstone_jni.so (if deleted Whetstone App)

libwhetstone_sdk.so (if deleted Whetstone App)

libxmpass_sdk_patcher.so

xmpass_libweibosdkcore.so

Establish network connectivity.

If Gapps is required but not installed, download open_gapps-arm64-5.0-pico version. You can install individual extra Google apps at any stage later on.

Go through all MIUI Settings and turn off everything you do not need running.

Install your favorite media player, web browser etc. to replace the deleted original apps.

Can replace Calendar and Messenger with Google Calendar and Google Messenger to remove some more Xiaomi dependencies. Contacts & Dialer are much harder to replace - True Phone is the only viable option.

To further limit Xiaomi unsolicited communications, rename (or delete) /system/xbin/tunman to tunmanbak. (This is a tunneling protocol driver that Xiaomi uses without your knowledge or permission).

The startup is disabled in the boot.img but it can still be started after boot unless renamed.

To skinny the Themes footprint:

Go to /system/media/theme/

Delete elder-default folder if no use.

Delete entire contents of miui_mod_icons folder

Delete items in /system/media/theme/default/ that are not going to be used.

Delete items in /system/media/lockscreen/ and /system/media/wallpaper/ that are not going to be used.

Now install your favorite app for monitoring CPU parameters and make sure that on idle, there is only one cpu core running and it sits predominantly on 403MHz. It will jump a little bit but that is normal with the inevitable background activities. Increase the timer_rate if you want more stability at idle rather than cranking up the load figures too far. Up to 50000 or down to 30000 is O.K (remember we are talking microseconds here so 50000 = 50mS)

Congratulations! You now you have a "Super Skinny" MIUI installation. Do a backup now!!!!

Now you will feel the AOSP shining through - and still you have working everything!